Jacquet hit with time penalty after F1 Academy Feature Race in Montreal
Stewards apply five-second penalty to Williams driver
Jade Jacquet has been handed a five-second time penalty following the F1 Academy Feature Race in Montreal, a decision that has reshaped the final classification in the lower reaches of the field.
The Williams-affiliated French driver was found to have left the track at Turn 13 and gained a lasting advantage in the process. According to the stewards, Jacquet was running behind Rachel Robertson at the point she departed the circuit, and the position she subsequently held over the PUMA driver was deemed to have been acquired off-track.
The stewards' reasoning
The stewards were explicit in their ruling: regardless of any perceived risk Jacquet may have faced of losing further positions, any lasting advantage gained by leaving the track must be relinquished. The argument that competitive pressure or external circumstance could justify retaining such a gain was firmly dismissed.
This is consistent with the firm line officials have taken across the Montreal weekend on track limits and procedural infringements — a theme that ran through the F1 Academy Reverse Grid Race earlier in the weekend, where three drivers also received five-second penalties.
Classification impact
As a consequence of the penalty, Jacquet drops two positions — from P11 to P13 in the final race classification. The decision promotes Ella Stevens and Esmee Kosterman each up one place in the order.
The Feature Race itself had been a commanding affair at the top, with Alisha Palmowski claiming victory by a record-breaking ten-second margin, but the post-race deliberations ensured the final standings were not settled until the stewards had their say.
Ciara Gillan
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producer’s brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastri’s rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!